Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine defended his personal opposition to abortion on Sunday while appearing to contradict a recent claim by Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager that he would work with her to overturn existing legislation that bans Medicaid coverage of abortion.
During an interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Kaine was asked to confirm Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook’s assertion that he would help the former secretary of state repeal the Hyde Amendment, which bars certain federal funds from going toward abortion.
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“He has said that he will stand with Secretary Clinton to defend a woman’s right to choose, to repeal the Hyde amendment. So, you know, voters can be 100 percent confident that Tim Kaine is going to fight to protect a woman’s right to choose,” Mook told CNN a week prior.
“That is not accurate and I don’t think Robby has said that,” Kaine told Tapper.
“My voting position on abortion hasn’t really changed,” Kaine said. “I support the Hyde Amendment. I haven’t changed that.”
Still, Kaine said he has “always supported Roe v. Wade” and doesn’t believe the federal government should intrude “upon the decision-making of women, and men too, when it comes to matters of whether it’s abortion rights, contraception.”
“I am a Catholic and I accept the church’s teaching on this issue, but I do not believe the job of somebody in public life is to say, ‘I’m a Catholic so my job is to make our laws consistent with Catholic doctrine and make everybody follow it,'” he said.
